


Revenge

by glitterpop



Series: instead [3]
Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-23
Updated: 2015-02-23
Packaged: 2018-03-14 17:21:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3419117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glitterpop/pseuds/glitterpop
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tadashi closes his eyes and tries to imagine Callaghan, helplessly grieving, dreaming of his daughter disappearing over and over again. He tries to imagine Callaghan seeing Krei’s face on television, around town, and knowing that he’ll never be punished for what he had done. He tries to imagine the grieving and sorrow, how it had turned into anger, how it had turned into a slow rage, just waiting to be unleashed. He tries to imagine the kind of bone-deep anger it takes to drive a man to cause the death of a child and feel no remorse over it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Revenge

His friends have gone to Fred’s place, to rest and recoup and try and figure out where Callaghan would go next. They had all found more information on the computers at the island, and watching the security footage further had revealed something they’d all been surprised by

“Callaghan?” Honey had gasped, watching as Callaghan tried to tackle Krei, screaming that it was all his fault.

“What was he doing there?” Wasabi had wondered. Tadashi had said nothing, instead rewinding the footage back to the test pilot. Something Callaghan had said to him once…

_I can’t imagine what I would do if something were to happen to her…_

“Tadashi?”

“There.” He paused the video when the woman was stepping into the pod, zooming in on her helmet. “It’s her. Abigail.”

“Abigail?” Gogo asked, reading ‘Callaghan’ on the helmet. “His daughter?”

“Callaghan blames Krei,” Fred said, something like horrified wonder in his voice. “This is a revenge story.”

“We have to stop him,” Honey said, sounding firm, and Tadashi could see her looking at him from the corner of his eye.

[look look if you want look it won’t change don’t worry don’t okay it won’t change anything]

They’d downloaded the footage and flown back on Baymax, silent the whole way. They’d gotten off at Fred’s mansion, but Tadashi had stayed on Baymax’s back, waving his hand.

“His sensor is broken,” he had said, gesturing to Baymax’s helmet. “I need to go to the garage and fix it.”

“We’ll come find you,” Wasabi had said, looking a little wary. They would speak to him, he noticed, but they were treating him like he was glass. He hadn’t blamed them, not after all he had poured out in the aftermath of his destruction. He had nodded and flown off, not watching as they grew smaller and smaller in the distance.

The scanner had been an easy fix, though. Now he was just sitting in the computer chair, staring blankly out the garage doors. He thought of Callaghan, the anger in his eyes, the worry lines on his face as he had talked of his daughter two years ago.

_I can’t imagine what I would do if something were to happen to her…_

[thought he had thought you had thought the same thing if something were to happen to her to him]

Callaghan had watched his daughter race to her death. He had hugged his daughter, wished her luck and prayed for her safety. He had watched the portal his daughter had gone in explode, and he had watched the portal she should have come out of turn off. His wife had died to give him Abigail, and they had lived happily for years, and he had loved her _so much…_ and in the end he still had to watch her die. He watched her die and watched the man who had killed her, in his mind, walk free, and it had obviously driven him mad with rage.

Callaghan wants revenge, but revenge is wrong.

Tadashi closes his eyes and tries to imagine Callaghan, helplessly grieving, dreaming of his daughter disappearing over and over again. He tries to imagine Callaghan seeing Krei’s face on television, around town, and knowing that he’ll never be punished for what he had done. He tries to imagine the grieving and sorrow, how it had turned into anger, how it had turned into a slow rage, just waiting to be unleashed. He tries to imagine the kind of bone-deep anger it takes to drive a man to cause the death of a child and feel no remorse over it.

He tries but he can’t imagine it.

He can’t because the loss of his most important person had caused nothing but a sense of emptiness. Losing Hiro had hollowed him out, had taken his heart and crushed it. He’d been lost and alone, trying not to drown in his sorrow and failing miserably. He hadn’t been angry because the only person he could have been angry with was himself. Not Hiro, never Hiro. Hiro had done something kind and brave with his final moments. No, it had always been his fault. If only he had caught Hiro by the arm instead…

There had been no one else to be angry with.

Not until Callaghan had snarled at Tadashi, growled that he didn’t care he had killed Hiro.

He felt his fists clench slowly in his lap and breathed out slowly.

Callaghan wanted revenge, but revenge is wrong.

Right?

Callaghan wanted revenge against Krei, and that was wrong, but it was wrong of Krei to have done what he did. Who was more wrong in this situation? Did it matter? Callaghan wanted revenge against Krei for killing Abigail, but Callaghan had killed Hiro so he could get it. It was wrong of Callaghan to have done this, and it would be wrong of Tadashi to do something about it,

[wrong it’s wrong it’s always wrong unless unless it’s right is it is it right]

wouldn’t it?

Would it?

“Tadashi, my sensors indicate that you are feeling high levels of distress. What is the matter?”

He looked at Baymax, who looked at him, and considered. Hiro had just been a child, a lonely, loving child. He had only wanted to help people, to fit in and have friends. He’d wanted people to see his genius and not scoff at it, or make fun of him, or beat him up for it. Hiro had wanted to change the world, and he could have. That’s what sticks right now to Tadashi’s mind, that Hiro could have changed the world for the better, that he had been working and accomplishing it. And instead of being congratulated and praised for it, he had been killed so someone else could abuse it.

He had just been a child, and killing children was the worst thing to do.

“Nothing’s wrong, Baymax,” he said, standing up and walking over. Baymax ‘blinked’ and tilted his head, watching as Tadashi took off his chest armor. “Everything will be fine soon.” He would remove the healthcare chip again and leave it on the desk for his friends to find. They’d look for him, of course, but they wouldn’t find him. Not in time. Tadashi would take care of Callaghan, and if he got in trouble for it, then so be it. Callaghan had killed a child, and all Tadashi was doing was righting what he had done wrong.

Except Baymax did not open the port holding the chips when he pressed on it.

“What?” he asked, disbelieving.

“Are you going to remove my healthcare chip again?”

“Yes.” He shook his head, frowning and pressing harder. Still nothing. “Yes, I am. Open your access port.”

“If you remove my healthcare chip again—“

“Baymax, open your access port!”

“—my protocol will once again be violated.”

“Baymax, I am your creator! _Open the damn port_!”

“Is this what Hiro would have wanted?”

“No!” he said, teeth gritted, now practically punching Baymax in the chest. “Of course this isn’t what he would have wanted, but he. Isn’t. _Here!_ ”

“Hiro is here—“

“ _Stop saying that_!” he screamed, pushing away from Baymax. He braced himself against the desk, eyes bulging, chest heaving. “Stop saying that, Hiro isn’t here. _He died._ He died because I let him go, he died because Callaghan _killed him._ He killed him and he _doesn’t care._ Hiro’s got a coffin that’s _empty_ because Callaghan started a fire that _burned him to ashes_.” He screwed his eyes shut, trying to stop the tears. “Hiro isn’t here, Bamax, so _stop saying he is_.”

There’s a long moment of silence where Tadashi tries to pull himself together. He needs to leave before the rest of the group comes back, and he needs to get that chip out. He doesn’t understand why Baymax is disobeying him, but he can look at that later. For now, he’ll just have to force the port open to get the chip out.

His thoughts come screeching to a halt when Baymax says, almost softly,

“Hiro is here.”

He’s about to whirl around, about to really start screaming at Baymax, when he hears a voice

[dead he’s dead he he he where why how hiro hiro hiro oh hiro]

that makes his words catch in his throat.

_“Ow, hey Baymax, be a little more careful!”_

Tadashi turns slowly and sees Hiro, looking down at his arm while Baymax wraps it in bandages. He looks at the recording of his brother and steps closer, uncaring now of the tears that are falling. He remembers this, a little. He had gone into the garage and saw that Hiro had his arm in bandages. He had fussed, but Hiro had waved him off, saying that he had cut himself with one of his tools but Baymax had taken care of him. He watches Hiro silently, drinking in the sight of his brother in a situation he hadn’t been permitted to see before.

 _“You know, building a nurse-bot was a really cool idea.”_ Tadashi jumps a little at the voice, and Hiro looks up at Baymax’s face in the recording, a smile on his face. _“Then again, I’m not surprised. Tadashi always has such cool ideas! And they’re always, you know… practical. Just like him.”_ Hiro grows silent again, his eyes cutting away and his smile growing smaller. _“I used to be jealous of that, actually.”_ Tadashi chokes a little at those words.

 _“I mean, not of his ideas. I’ve got really cool ideas too! And I’ve made some really awesome things, like Megabot. I wasn’t jealous that he was smart, I was…”_ Hiro looks back at Baymax. He looks embarrassed, like he can’t believe he’s saying any of these things. He also looks relieved though, like these words have been inside him for a long time with no one to say them to. _“I was jealous that everyone liked him even though he was smart.”_

“Oh, Hiro,” he says, bringing his hand up and touching the screen on Baymax’s chest.

 _“I’m smart too, but no one’s ever liked me. Not like they all like Tadashi. It made me so angry for a while!”_ Hiro laughs, but all Tadashi can think of is that time when Hiro had been twelve. Had he been the cause of his brother’s anger? Had he? The thought of it kills him. _“But only for a little while. I wanted to stay angry, but he’s my brother, you know? He’s always been there for me. I thought one day, you know, I thought ‘not everybody doesn’t like you.’ And that was true, I realized. Tadashi’s always liked me, even though I’m smarter than him. He’s always been my best friend, no matter what. And I realized that that was all I needed.”_

Tadashi covers his mouth with his free hand, his chest hitching with sobs he’s choking down, and he watches Hiro look at Baymax so earnestly.

_“He’s my big brother and I love him. And when I saw you, I was really proud of him. I mean look at you! Ten thousand medical procedures! You can do so many amazing things because of him! Tadashi’s always wanted to help people, and with you, he’ll be able to help so many people. And I’m happy for him. Maybe if I get into the school, I’ll be able to help people too.”_

Hiro seems to catch himself and pauses, his face erupting in a bright blush. He chuckles nervously and pulls his arm close, Baymax having finished bandaging it long ago.

_“Don’t, uh, don’t tell him I said any of this, will you? Can’t have him think I’m going soft on him.”_

_“If you wish,”_ Baymax replies in the recording. Hiro rocks back and forth on his heels, still bright red and looking anywhere but at the nurse-bot.

_“You can, uh, go back to your box now!”_

_“I cannot deactivate until you say you are satisfied with your care.”_

_“Oh, right. Well, I’m satisfied with my care.”_

The recording stops there, frozen on Hiro’s face. Still blushing, flashing an embarrassed grin, and Tadashi focuses on the gap in his brother’s smile, the light in his eyes. He can’t stop the tears, thinking of Hiro and everything that had been said. God, Hiro had believed in Tadashi so much, and here he had been about to go against all of that. He’d been about to throw away everything Hiro had believed him to be just because of Callaghan.

A hand rests on his shoulder and he looks over at his friends. They’re all gathered close to him, Honey the one resting her hand on his shoulder, and they all have tears in their eyes. They didn’t love Hiro, not like he did, but they had all _wanted_ to love him. They had wanted to have the chance to love his brother, and he thinks maybe that’s a kind of awful he’d never understand.

He wonders how much they saw, how much they knew, and feels a fresh wave of shame roll over him. He’d been about to throw _everything_ away, all on a man that didn’t deserve it.

“Tadashi…” Honey squeezes his shoulder, trying to comfort him, and he turns back to the frozen image of Hiro.

“He would have been so disappointed if he knew what I’ve done,” Tadashi whispers thickly. “He would have hated me.” His friends are quiet for a moment before Honey turns him to her, bringing her other hand up so she can grip both his shoulders.

“I don’t think there’s anything you could have done to make Hiro love you any less than he did.” He closes his eyes and leans into her, accepting the comfort she was offering. He isn’t sure if he really believes her, isn’t sure if Hiro really would have still loved him just the same. He isn’t sure but he wants to believe. He breaths deep, trying to calm himself.

“We know where Callaghan’s going to go,” Wasabi speaks up, stepping closer to him and Honey. Tadashi pulls away from Honey and looks one last time at his brother. Hiro had deserved better. Hiro had deserved to live for a long time, he deserved more chances to smile and laugh and cry and be who he was. Hiro was everything Tadashi had loved, the reason he wanted to help people, the reason he had created Baymax in the first place.

Hiro had deserved to live his life.

_I can’t imagine what I would do if something were to happen to her…_

“Then what are we waiting for?”

**Author's Note:**

> [I've got my Tumblr here where I'm still really really into this movie](http://www.glitterpukesoul.tumblr.com)


End file.
